Why GENDA Matters - New York Civil Liberties Union

Support Genda
Join the New Yorkers from across the state who are uniting
in support of GENDA.
Among the Many Organizations that Support GENDA are:
National Organization for Women, League of Women Voters,
New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Women’s
Bar Association of the State of New York, Northeast Coalition
of Crime Victim Service Providers, Ms. Foundation, Family
Planning Advocates of New York State, Sanctuary for Families,
NARAL Pro-Choice New York and YWCA Northeast
Regional Council.
Get Involved
New York Police Chiefs from Albany and Rochester, where
local laws protect transgender people from discrimination, have
endorsed GENDA.
“In my years as a police officer, and ultimately as the chief,
I can attest to the positive effects that the ordinance has
had in Albany. I am sure that it is also true of other cities and
states with similar laws.””
–Police Chief Steven Krokoff, Albany
• Go to www.nyclu.org to learn more about NYCLU’s work on transgender equality and take action.
• Contact your elected representatives in state government, including your state senator, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and tell them that all New Yorkers deserve to live free from discrimination.
• Contact your local NYCLU office (listed below) to learn more about how to get involved.
Headquarters and
New York City Regional Office
125 Broad St., 19th Floor
New York, NY 10004
212-607-3300
kbodde@nyclu.org
Capital Region Chapter
90 State St.
Albany, NY 12207
518-436-8594
CapitalRegion@nyclu.org
Central New York Chapter
731 James St., Suite 205
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-471-2821
CentralNY@nyclu.org
Genesee Valley Chapter
121 N. Fitzhugh St., Suite 300
Rochester, NY 14614
585-454-4334
GeneseeValley@nyclu.org
Lower Hudson Valley Chapter
297 Knollwood Rd.
White Plains, NY 10607
914-997-7479
LowerHudsonValley@nyclu.org
Nassau County Chapter
33 Front St., Suite 205
Hempstead, NY 11550
516-741-8520
Nassau@nyclu.org
Suffolk County Chapter
Touro Law Public
Advocacy Center
225 Eastview Dr.
Central Islip, NY 11722
631-650-2301
Suffolk@nyclu.org
Western Regional Office
The Ansonia Center
712 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14202
716-852-4033
WesternRegion@nyclu.org
Why Genda Matters
For some New Yorkers, the most
simple and fundamental parts of
their identity – their clothing, their
speech, even their names – expose
them to hostility and exclusion.
People who do not conform to gender-based stereotypes,
or whose gender presentation or identity differs
from the one usually associated with their anatomical
sex, often experience persistent discrimination and
harassment. They face challenges earning a living,
finding housing, and enjoying the simple pleasures and
necessities of life. Everyday activities like eating out,
shopping or going to the movies carry the risk of
mistreatment, refusal of service – or worse.
What Genda Will Do
No statewide law explicitly prohibits discrimination
against transgender people or people whose appearance
does not conform to gender stereotypes. This means
that people who are fired from their jobs, denied
housing, and services and mistreated in the workplace,
in stores and in restaurants merely because of their
appearance or gender identity do not have clear legal
protection. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination
Act (GENDA) would fix this problem by adding
gender identity and expression to the categories already
included in New York State’s anti-discrimination laws,
such as sex, race, sexual orientation and disability.
For more information, see NYCLU’s Report:
Advancing Transgender Civil Rights and Equality: The Need for GENDA
www.nyclu.org

All New Yorkers Deserve
to be Free From Discrimination.
It’s Only Fair.
Important Terminology
Sex:
the physical characteristics of
one’s body, including a person’s
genitals, hormone levels and
sex chromosomes.
Gender:
one’s sense of masculinity and/
or femininity.
Gender identity:
a person’s understanding of
his or her own gender. Gender
identity might be the same as
a person’s sex (like a person
born with male anatomy who
sees himself as male) or different
(like a person born with
male anatomy who sees herself
as female).
Gender expression:
the way an individual expresses
gender, through behavior,
appearance, name or other
methods of self-presentation.
Transgender:
a self-perception of one’s
gender that differs from
one’s biological sex at birth.
Gender non-conforming:
when one’s appearance and/or
behavior does not “match up”
or conform to stereotypical
perceptions of gender.
Discrimination In Plain Sight
According to a 2011 survey of transgender and gender non-conforming people:
Workplace: 74 percent of the New Yorkers
surveyed report that they have experienced harassment,
37 percent were not hired, 20 percent
were denied a promotion and 20 percent lost
their jobs altogether because they were transgender
or gender non-conforming.
Housing: Of the New Yorkers surveyed, 8 percent
were evicted because they were transgender or
gender non-conforming, 19 percent were denied
housing and 18 percent became homeless at
some point because they were transgender or gender
non-conforming.
Public Accommodations: 53 percent of
New Yorkers surveyed had been subjected to verbal
harassment or disrespect, 18 percent were
denied equal treatment by a government agency or
official and 17 percent were denied medical care
due to their gender identity or expression.
“We are all human. We bleed the same. We are taxpayers –
we have sisters, mothers, brothers, uncles. Who decides
who’s better, who’s more deserving of humanity? I’m here for
a purpose. God don’t make no mistakes.”
–Kym Dorsey, Albany
Times Union Photo by Cindy Schultz used by permission
New York Needs GENDA:
Hundreds of thousands of transgender and gender non-conforming people
live in New York State. Protecting and expanding their access to education,
housing, employment and community life affects every New Yorker’s well-being
because it further promotes a more just society.
New York is Falling Behind:
It’s Time for Our Elected Officials in Albany
to Stand Up for All New Yorkers
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that protect
transgender and gender non-conforming people from discrimination.
Passing GENDA would not be a radical step or departure from long-held values.
Some of New York’s towns, cities and counties already have laws that prohibit discrimination
based on gender expression and gender identity.
By one estimate, 60 percent of New York State
residents enjoy explicit legal protection from
discrimination based on their gender identity
or expression. But this leaves four in 10
New York residents without these
essential protections.
Areas with Local Protections
Buffalo
Rochester
Binghamton
Ithaca Tompkins County
All New Yorkers deserve the same protection.
Protection from discrimination should not depend on
a person’s ZIP code.
Dozens of New York-based Fortune 500 Companies have acknowledged
the value of preventing discrimination based on gender
identity and expression and have adopted policies to prevent it.
“If your company values an open, trusting environment where all employees
are welcome and there is equality, then that means all.”
–Ernest L. Hicks, Manager of Xerox Corporation’s Corporate Diversity Office
Albany
Rhinebeck
Westchester County
New York City
Suffolk County
“Even in New York City, certain
segments of town, certain streets
aren’t safe. You have to be
careful where you walk. If
you’re not ‘passable’ enough,
the attacks can be even fiercer,
because you offend people.”
–Moshay Moses, New York
“I was essentially fired
for appearing on TV as a
transgender person.”
–Joann Prinzivalli,
Westchester County
“All I was asking for was
treatment for a routine medical
problem. But my appearance
was so out of the routine that
I was treated as a medical
anomaly – as if my right to
literally breathe were offensive.”
–Sam, Hudson Valley
“He’s not a boy who likes to
pretend being a girl. He actually
is a girl.”
–Anna, Monroe County, whose
child is a transgender female